This is Where the God Lies
by extra-Mt
Summary: There is a swamp that no human would dare to step into. In the midst of the war with voodoo witches and witch hunters, Cordelia meets a mysterious feral girl in the forbidden place. Inspired by Princess Mononoke.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is heavily influenced by Princess Mononoke (Miyazaki film). So you might understand the story better if you are familiar with the film…? You still can enjoy it without doing so :P**

* * *

The sound of her white cane resonated in her ears as she made her way to the bedroom in the vast academy. It had been a quite night. What with all the girls, which wasn't a lot, were out to a club, the building sounded like a cemetery. Cordelia couldn't complain. Although silence scared her sometimes, it was nice to have quite moments where she didn't have to tolerate other people.

With her cane dangling in front of her, she ascended the stair case. To be honest, she didn't need that cane in the academy. It was a pose, just in case something were to happen.

The darkness was something she had been born in. She had spent the 32 years of her life depending on a cane. Despite occasional breakdowns due to the harsh words from people, Cordelia was content with her life.

Feeling the wooden door under her touch, she softly pushed it open, immediately welcomed by the aromatic scent of bay leaf. Her mother had complained about the scent being depressive and what not when she had come back from Europe out of the blue. _She had no knowledge about herbology anyway_ , the blind woman mused.

Fiona truly resembled a storm, a powerfully nasty one that appeared only once in a blue moon. That woman never liked Cordelia, granted she had given birth to her. Every time she came by the academy, the Supreme made sure to leave mean comments on her daughter's incompetence as a headmistress. Cordelia had used to wonder what could've been if it hadn't been for her disability, but it was a long time ago. It was easier to accept Fiona's insults than to keep wishing for the better life.

But at nights as quiet and still as this one, it was rather impossible not to think about the sweet, miserable life of hers. Lying down on the mattress, with her cane folded and put on the nightstand, the alchemist closed her eyes. It was the same darkness, whether with her eyes open or closed. She allowed herself to sink deeper in the bed as sleep took over, not having a clue this would be the last moment in the darkness before everything would turn upside down.

ooOooOoo

There was no way to tell how long it had been since she had fallen asleep. But something had woken her. In her slumber, Cordelia thought she had heard someone yelling downstairs. _It must be the girls. They must have gotten too wasted to act like normal human beings._ She tried to go back to sleep.

Then there were angry feet stomping on the stair steps, which Cordelia assumed Fiona's. She would never mishear the distinctive way of walking and the sharp clicking of her Jimmy Choo's. It was definitely Fiona walking in the hallway. The question was; why was she running?

It sounded like the door of the bedroom was almost knocked down as Fiona stormed in. Cordelia was still trying to get out of her sleep when she sensed the light on the ceiling Fiona had turned on.

The Supreme's body released a cold energy, and Cordelia could smell the alcohol. It was quite apparent her mother had been drinking outside.

"Wake up," the mother slurred. But somewhere in her voice, there was a hint of urgency. "Come downstairs immediately."

"Why? What happened?" the blind woman rubbed her forehead. It was such a rare occurrence to hear Fiona sound so anxious.

"Someone attacked us," the Supreme answered, causing the other to straighten up on the bed. "Nan got shot. Get your little kit of meds."

As soon as they had stepped into the ancestors' room, the iron smell of blood invaded Cordelia's nose. It was easy to tell a huge amount of blood had been lost, but there was something else. A sense that wasn't so familiar to Cordelia, but not completely unknown nevertheless.

Her pristine eyebrows knotted together tightly as she knelt by the couch, where the wounded girl laid motionlessly. Cordelia searched for the gun wound, not minding the sticky blood coating her fingers. The skin of the girls was cold as ice, but somehow she was still breathing, as feebly as she was. When her hand finally spotted the small hole in her abdomen, Cordelia trembled.

Feeling the eyes of her mother and the girls, the alchemist sought a way to explain the horrendous truth she was about to deliver.

"She's been shot with a silver bullet." Her hands were shaking. She heard gasps from the girls, and continued with an equally shaky voice. "A bullet enchanted with voodoo magic."

Gasps and whispers echoed in the room yet again, and Fiona's voice sounded hoarser than usual. A sign that she was on the verge of explosion. "You mean to tell me that witch hunters _and_ voodoo bitches attacked us together?"

Cordelia remained silent. It was a known fact that Fiona had been fooling around with the voodoo queen, but the idea of Marie Laveau and witch hunters working in tandem sounded too drastic.

"Can you heal her?"

The shaking voice of Zoey asked, bringing the alchemist back from her trance.

"I believe so." She gave a small nod in the direction of the girl, before turning her head to her mother. "But I don't have the herb necessary to make the healing potion."

"Where can you get it?" the Supreme urged.

"The swamp."

Just the second Cordelia had finished her sentence, Fiona let out a frustrated puff. "Come up with another solution," she said with much coldness in her voice.

"But mother, I don't have any other solutions. This type of magic is so uniq–"

"I said no, Delia." Fiona cut her off. "You know very well to stay away from that swamp."

ooOooOoo

Laurus nobilis in the square jar on right side of the second shelf. Petroselinum crispum in the short, round jar on the left end of the bottom shelf. Thymus vulgaris in the tall, thin jar on the middle of the third shelf.

There was nothing Cordelia couldn't do in the greenhouse even without the help of her cane. This was the only place she could freely dance around without bumping into someone and consequently getting yelled at.

Her passion for herbs and plants seemed to have come out of nowhere before she even had learned to use a cane skillfully. While people shun from her because of her blindness, plants and flowers always spoke to her heart. Even though she knew Fiona would never approve, she couldn't think of anything else to pour her passion into. As trivial and powerless as her mother would think of her talent, Cordelia's love for herbology was strong.

Feeling the sweat rolling down her forehead, Cordelia wiped it away with the back of her mud-covered hand. In the heat of the summer night, it was a strenuous task to work in the greenhouse for hours. The singing of crickets from outside was bliss for her tired mind, but she couldn't be distracted too much.

They had managed to stabilize Nan, but she was still in a crucial state. It seemed like her life depended on Cordelia and her herbological skills. It was the heaviest burden she'd ever had in her life. Any minute, any second Cordelia spent, the injured clairvoyant could be lost in the limbo.

After failing to concoct another potion, Cordelia slammed her palms on the wooden table. The dry sound died soon as she closed her eyes in desperation. _Fiona has no idea_ , the alchemist gritted her teeth.

She needed to get that herb. She needed to go to the swamp, if she really wanted to save the girl.

ooOooOoo

Going to unfamiliar places alone was a challenge especially when you were blind. What was more challenging to Cordelia was sneaking out the academy so no one would know about her plan. She took a bus, where she had happened to be accompanied by some kind strangers who had helped her get to the swamp.

The woman cautiously took steps, feeling her heels digging into the muddy ground. Her heart was pounding, from fear or excitement for the adventure, she couldn't tell. The last time she had gone to the nature by herself was when she was still a teen.

The marsh was so full of life Cordelia could even smell that. Trees must be some hundred years old, housing billions of tiny insects and birds. Her blind eyes glowed as she thought about all the unknown species of fauna and flora around here. This place had been rejecting any human contact for quite a long time, and she had the privilege to appreciate the untouched mother nature.

After calming down her excitement, she sharpened her sense in search of the special herb. She had never actually touched or smelled the plant, but she was confident she would know when she encountered it.

So with her straightened back, she walked among the trees with much grace. The wind blew her silk hair once, before making leaves dance above the water. The serene sound of leaves forming ripples contrasted the harsh sun of New Orleans, and Cordelia took in the unique scent of the marsh. She of course didn't notice the person standing on the other side of the water.

###

The girl with blonde curls stood there silently, watching the blind woman wander around the place. Her lithe body was tense and alert, but her blue eyes showed a hint of curiosity. The woman looked so different from poachers who came to kill the gators. Her aura and all. There was softness interwoven with strength in that blind woman.

It wasn't the safety of the swamp, but the safety of the woman that concerned the wild blonde. The gators could easily eat her up as soon as her white cane, whose tip was covered in mud, hit the surface of the water. She felt the urge to protect that woman, maybe because she resembled a tiny powerless animal, or maybe because of her serenity, which somehow blended in the nature perfectly.

###

Cordelia very well knew there were alligators in the water. But they would not attack her unprovoked, so she stayed away from the water. What she didn't know, was that there was something else that wished to harm her. Someone, to be precise.

So caught up with her surroundings, she had failed to notice the shadow on her. When she finally realized, it was too late. The invisible enemy jumped on her with agility of a tiger, hitting her head with something cold and heavy. She was too shocked to fight back, if she'd had any powers, that is. Her cheek touched the cold ground, and Cordelia could feel the blood oozing through her scalp. As her consciousness faded away in the same old darkness, her throat let out a groan at the acute pain in her eyes. That bustard had poured some liquid on her face.

Was she going to die there, with no one to know about this? Fiona would complain about having to have a funeral for certain. What would they do with Nan? Her death would be her fault. How silly and naïve was she, to believe she was capable enough to compensate for her blindness.

In her flash backs, she heard steps approaching where she laid. Did the attacker return to do her more harm, or was that her savior? The person stood beside her for a moment, while Cordelia breathed with some difficulties. The last thing she remembered before falling unconscious was a soft warm hand caressing her damaged face.

###

When she woke up, there was no one to be seen. The sun lit the sky brightly, and the trees and grass danced with the summer breeze. She was alone at the swamp, lying on the ground with her muddy clothes. But something was off…

She reached up to touch her scalp, only to find out it had stopped bleeding. In fact, she didn't see any blood on her fingers. She didn't _see_ any sign of her injury. Cordelia gulped, feeling her heart pump in panic, her breathing quicker.

Her eyes had been un-blinded. All the colors and shapes jumped into her sight, and Cordelia had never been so frightened in her entire life. The things she had ever known suddenly stopped making sense. The tall brown poles with a bunch of tiny thin materials must be what they called trees. The animals that just flew by above her head must be birds. But what about the rest of the world? She only knew the world in the darkness.

She closed her eyes until she could breathe evenly. Her hands formed fists on the dirt, and she noticed the object in her hand. It was a shiny piece that resembled a seashell attached to a string. _Bizarre_ , she thought. The texture was strange, indicating it didn't belong to her. It must be the belonging of whoever had healed her. She stuck her hand in her pocket while the other hand gripped her cane.

The trip to the academy was full of new sensations. The cars in the street were moving way faster than she had ever imagined. The designs of the houses were colorful and unique. People were dressing in clothes in peculiar colors and patterns. Everything was exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. The amount of information was so large it was impossible to digest in an instant. So she occasionally closed her eyes and let her cane guide her as she had used to.

When she finally identified the academy, Fiona yelled at her for having disappeared on them. They had managed to heal Nan while she had been away apparently. She accused her daughter of being a failure, never noticing the newly gained eyes which shone in different hues. In fact, no one ever seemed to notice the fact that they no longer heard the sound of her cane echoing in the hallway.


	2. Chapter 2

A week had passed since her trip to the swamp, and Cordelia was itching to go back so badly. They had managed to heal Nan's wound for the time being, but they had no idea when their enemies would attack them again.

With her sight, Cordelia felt more powerful, more in control. She even went as far as to blame her mother for having provoked Marie Laveau, which the Supreme shrugged off with an arrogant snort. It was obvious to everyone's eyes the Supreme wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice anyone in order to protect herself.

She found herself walking in the swamp, searching for someone even though there was no clue where to look. The only hope was the necklace, as she later had figured out, that her healer had left. Cordelia somehow felt confident that she would find the owner of the accessory here.

It was a rather cloudy day, ground muddier than usual due to the rain last night. Although in the middle of the summer, the marsh gave her goosebumps. She was feeling ambivalent; something was highly alarming about this place, but her feet couldn't stop going further and deeper.

Just as she stopped to wipe sweat off her forehead, she thought she'd heard a gunshot. Guessing from the sound, it couldn't be that far. The closer she got, the faster her heart beat against her ribcage.

###

Somewhere near the water, a man, who appeared to be a poacher, was surrounded by huge alligators. Frightened, he desperately resisted by shooting at them, but the gators were greater in numbers. As soon as the human ran out of bullets, they climbed up him like a tree.

The girl with untamed curls slowly walked to the mountain of gators, observing the scene as the screams of the man died. Her hair humbly danced in the wind, while the pale blue eyes watched his limbs torn apart. There was nothing but contempt in her eyes.

Another man sneaked up behind her with a gun in his hands. His hand clutched the weapon tightly, before pointing it at the back of the girl's head.

###

Cordelia heard another gunshot, from somewhere very close. Walking at a faster speed, she nervously sought the source of the sound. Her nerves were on edge; something was happening at the swamp that she wouldn't like.

When she finally came to a small open field, she saw a bunch of alligators eating and dragging two humans into the water. The predators were enormous, and their teeth were as sharp as gardening shears. Hiding behind a tree, the woman attempted to regulate her breathing. She imagined they could somehow hear her heartbeat from feet away.

She shifted her gaze to the object left behind on the ground. It was…a human, with her chest weakly moving up and down. Cordelia's eyes widened, and she ran to the person, ignoring her rationality screaming about the gators. But to her surprise and relief, none of the animals showed a sign of hostility toward her. The girl was lying on her back, and Cordelia's mismatched eyes spotted the blood-stained stomach. Her pool of blood was getting larger slowly, and the woman knew the girl would die if left untreated.

Gathering her physical strength, Cordelia lifted the body in order to secure their safety. The body in her arms was strangely light and limp. The wild curls with its unique scent of green touched Cordelia's nose, and she knew it smelled familiar. She had smelt that when she got attacked here a week ago. Could it be that the girl in her arms was her healer, and now she was the one healing her?

The alchemist left the girl under a grand tree after treating the wound. The bullet had gone through her body, which meant no struggle to get it out. All she could do at the moment was to wait for her to wake up. So the woman had decided to wander around the marsh more to look at the flora and fauna.

When she came back with her pockets full of rare plants, she saw the girl awake.

Cordelia smiled as she strolled toward her. There was something about the way the girl blended in the nature so perfectly, making her look almost surreal. Someone from a different world, perhaps.

The wild blonde touched her abdomen, where the blood stain remained, only to find out it had been healed.

At the sound of a twig snapped into two under Cordelia's weight, her eyes quickly moved from the wound to the woman standing in front of her. She got on her feet with the ferocity of an animal, glaring at the woman.

"It's fine. I'm not going to hurt you," Cordelia ensured, timidly with her hands held up in the air.

The wild blonde kept baring her teeth at her. She stood there with her knuckles on her sides, shoulders tense, in the same manner of an angry ape.

Cordelia kept staring at her in the eye, although somewhat intimidated by the animalistic reaction from the other. But she knew, somewhere in her heart, that she wouldn't hurt her. A wounded animal might try to attack those who try to offer help, but it could differentiate the harmful and the harmless in no time.

So she took a step closer, earning a hiss from the feral girl. Yet, as soon as the girl noticed Cordelia's eyes, all her aggression vanished instantaneously. Cordelia smiled and stepped closer until she could see the hues of the girl's eyes. The girl was slightly taller than Cordelia, and perhaps younger.

The alchemist reached to lift the girl's shirt to take a look at the wound underneath it. To her surprise, the girl let her. Her body was still rigid, probably due to the unaccustomed proximity, but she didn't run or push Cordelia away. The wound was starting to heal, and if the girl was cooperative, it would be fully healed by the next week.

The mismatched eyes looked up. "How are you feeling?" she softly asked, though she wasn't sure of the girl's ability to speak. She hadn't heard her voice yet.

"Are you hungry?" the older woman asked another question. She dug up her purse, and held a small package. "Here."

Looking at the mysterious thing and the woman with mismatched eyes, the feral girl stayed motionless.

At the suspicion evident in the baby blue eyes, Cordelia's grin grew bigger. "It's a protein bar."

Still, the younger woman didn't speak. She was determined not to touch that thing as equally as Cordelia was patient with her. But their silent battle came to an end when the girl abruptly started to walk away.

"Wait." The girl moved so quickly that the only thing Cordelia could to stop her was to grab her wrist.

The girl span around, hissing at her again. But Cordelia didn't flinch, nor did she let go of the wrist. There was so much unsolved and unanswered. She couldn't just let her go, could she? Their exchange of silence continued, as if both of them were transfixed by the intensity of it.

It was the girl who looked away first. The blue eyes awkwardly stared at the ground. It was as though she couldn't endure the gaze of the woman longer than a second or two.

The expression of the other gave Cordelia an ache in her heart for an unknown reason. They had only known each other for an hour, and she didn't even know what the girl's voice sounded like. And yet, Cordelia was feeling sentimental, so riveted by the odd girl with her clothes covered in blood and dirt.

The alchemist had been in love before, both with males and females. But this feeling, it was something different from lust and desire. It felt like her soul had been longing for the other.

"We've met before, haven't we?" the older blonde whispered.

Slowly letting go of the girl while sticking the unwanted protein bar in a pocket, she reached for the back of her neck to undo the necklace. On her palm, the charm glimmered in a greenish golden color under the sun.

"This is yours, isn't it? You left it when you healed my blind eyes."

No answer. The girl merely glanced at the accessory, before her eyes went back Cordelia.

There seemed to be no use trying to have a conversation with her, the alchemist figured. So she offered a smile and held the necklace closer to the other, wishing for her to take it.

"Keep it," the girl spoke. "You'll need it."

Her voice was lower than Cordelia had imagined. It was like a voice of a lioness coming out from an eagle. But somehow it fit her so perfectly.

While the alchemist was left speechless, the girl started to walk away once more.

"Wait," Cordelia begged almost too frantically. "I'm Cordelia. What is your name?"

The girl gave her no answer. "Don't come here again."

With that, the wild blonde disappeared deeper into the wetland, leaving Cordelia with the necklace and the fragile muddy scent of hers.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a week since her encounter with the mysterious wild blonde at the swamp. As much as she wanted to obey the girl's demand, Cordelia felt a strong desire to go back. It was as if something was pulling her back, back to see the girl again.

She couldn't find an explanation as to why she had to choose that day. But anyhow, she found herself walking among the tall trees at the marsh, in search of the wild blonde.

How funny and ingenious it was that the human body could adapt to new environments so quickly, Cordelia mused. In spite of the fact that she had been blind her entire life, her eyes worked as if they had never been disabled. She had learned to sift unnecessary information instead of trying to memorize everything she saw. Thanks to that, they no longer gave her a constant headache.

The swamp was grand. And Cordelia was certain there was a lot of potential danger, for example – she heard a hissing noise – snakes.

Perhaps she had been too caught up in her thoughts, because now there were at least a dozen of snakes slithering toward her. And they were not like pet snakes. Louisiana pine snakes could grow to 4 to 5 feet long on average, Cordelia had learned it from an audio book before. She didn't know exactly how long 5 feet was; but if she could be sure about one thing, it was that those snakes were way much longer and larger than what the average snake should look like.

The alchemist froze in fright. The best strategy in case of encountering a snake might be to stay quiet and stationary to prevent further provocation. But would that work on those serpents? Probably not. And even if running was a better option, Cordelia was too scared to even move her arms.

The snakes appeared to be eager to swallow her up, slithering toward her, lifting their head slightly to bite her lower body. She wouldn't be much of a meal, considering their size, but still something to fill their stomachs.

Her breathing became shallow. And just as one of their fangs was about to sink into her skin, there was a commotion behind her, which caused the snakes to pull back. The venomous creatures didn't hesitate to show their discontent as their shimmering yellow eyes glared at their enemies.

Behind them stood the wild blonde, accompanied by a couple of alligators, which Cordelia was certain were bigger than regular gators. The girl calmly stared at the serpents, and it seemed to have irritated them even more.

"What brought you here, gator princess?" one of the snakes hissed out. Its accent sounded a little foreign.

"Let the human go."

"Ohhh, hello to you, too. Aren't you so eager to protect your fellow human?"

The snake responded with much mockery in its voice, which earned disrespectful laughter from its fellow snakes. Cordelia saw the girl gritted her teeth at the taunting words. It was easily observed that they hated each other.

But the question was; how did Cordelia understand their exchange? Never in her life had she heard of talking animals. There might be a YouTube video with some dog saying 'I love you', or an awfully talkative parrot. But those animals simply imitated humans' voice patterns; these snakes were not. They were speaking a human language she spoke, and their speech was as impeccable as a regular adult human.

"Is that any way to speak to the family of Khame? It looks like you lost your ability to respect when you lost Naga in the ocean. Insult us again, and I'll crack your skulls open," a gator beside the wild blonde growled, taking a step closer to its venomous enemies.

Now Cordelia was confused even more than frightened. The snakes spoke with a foreign accent, while the gator spoke with Louisiana accent. And they seemed to be ignoring her, so busy hissing at one another. The alchemist wouldn't and couldn't complain, though.

"Stop that," the wild blonde reprimanded the gator softly, before returning her attention to the serpents. "I'm not asking not to kill humans. I'm only asking you to let this one go."

The reptiles snickered at the request, but gingerly retreated when the gators snarled at them. It was quite a sight, with absurdly huge serpents slithering, disappearing into bushes. Cordelia could still hear them vibrating the ground even after they had been long gone.

The alchemist let out a sigh of relief. All tension and fear vanished, and she heard herself giggle a little. Turning around, she looked at the wild blonde, whose eyes were already trained on her. She took a step, and the gators hissed, which made the woman realize that the danger hadn't completely gone yet.

"You guys can go home. I can take it from here," the younger blonde shifted her eyes to the green creatures.

"Khame wouldn't like this, Misty," one that was on the right side of the girl protested. "Now that the snakes know you saved a human, it's only a matter of time until the whole swamp will know about this."

The girl called Misty (Cordelia took a mental note to remember the name) stayed silent for a few moments. It seemed that she was contemplating on something, but her face showed no emotion.

"Go," she simply repeated.

Cordelia watched the gators swimming back into the water. As the two green tails disappeared underwater, she lifted her gaze and was met with a pair of blue. The wild blonde had obviously been staring at her the whole time.

"Why did you come back? I told you not to."

There was a hint of disappointment woven into the girl's accusation. The older blonde bit her lower lip in shame as her gaze dropped. The way Misty chided her was different from her mother yelling at her and giving her a bitch slap. It was calmer. But for some reason, the wild blonde made her feel more ashamed than Fiona had ever made her.

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. I needed to see you… Ever since last week, I couldn't stop thinking about you. There is something about you that makes me– and I–"

Cordelia just rambled, feeling heat creeping up to her face as soon as she realized how she sounded. It wasn't a declaration of love, no. It was…something totally different, she told herself.

Fortunately for her, the wild blonde didn't seem to notice her pink cheeks.

"Go," she ordered Cordelia as firmly as she had ordered the snakes. "You don't belong here."

The mismatched eyes of the woman widened as Misty begun to walk away as usual.

"But you do?" Cordelia shouted at the girl's back. It didn't help her calm down that they were walking quite near the water now. "Who are you? _What_ are you? Why could I understand what those animals were saying?"

All of the questions sounded so unrealistic, and the alchemist knew they would be left unanswered. The wild blonde had never given her answers. The more frustrating was that the back of the girl looked more familiar than her face to Cordelia. She could describe how the untamed curls bounced on her shoulders. But she couldn't even remember the shades of her eyes.

The moment the alchemist opened her mouth again, Misty suddenly stopped.

Standing near the edge of water, Cordelia noticed the sudden, drastic weather change. The strong wind caused leaves to fall down on the water, making multiple ripples. The water surface that had previously been sparkling, lost its gleam because of the clouds hiding the sun. And the temperature – Cordelia shivered – had dropped by at least 10 degrees.

Misty looked alarmed as well. The blue eyes stared at the water, and the older woman followed her gaze. There was something in the water. Something bigger than the alligators that had been with Misty.

Cordelia felt chill to her bones, so much so that her legs didn't function properly. She had no choice but to stay put as the creature emerged from underwater.

Describing it was hard for Cordelia, for she had never seen or heard of anything alike before. In fact, anyone would agree with her if asked.

The creature was twice as tall as the alchemist, the body enormous but with little fat. The surface of its body was covered with golden green scales, which made the creature look like a moss-covered statue under the weak sunlight. The body looked something similar to that of a cow, except for its feet, which had claws instead of hooves. And the blonde woman couldn't see well, but it also had a tail, longer, pointier, and thicker than a cow's tail. What else… its face also looked like a cow, but with fangs.

Basically, the conclusion Cordelia had drawn from all of these characteristics was that the creature, whatever its name was, appeared to be the hybrid of a cow and a crocodile.

The croco-cow stopped its heavy walk when it came a several feet away from Cordelia. There was no sign of hostility as long as Cordelia could tell, but it illuminated graveness, making the air thicker.

For a brief moment, none of the three moved. The creature kept staring at Cordelia. The alchemist was paralyzed. And Misty, she was the first one to make a move.

"Khame, she's not–"

Misty stood between the two as if to shield the other woman. Her brows knotted together slightly, the blue eyes begging it not to harm the woman.

The Khame creature glanced at her. "Do not worry. I will not kill her," it assured the feral girl.

It was adequate for the girl to step aside, although she looked at Cordelia rather anxiously.

"Come closer, child," Khame uttered. Its voice was coarse, soft, and solemn.

Cordelia followed the order and took a few steps. The closer their distance, the clearer she could see the features of the creature.

And she gasped. The eyes, they were a mirror of her own eyes; one pale blue and the other light brown. The blonde with mismatched eyes swallowed thickly as her eyes kept boring into their twins.

Khame nodded slightly. "You are the human who saved my daughter."

Cordelia knotted her eyebrows in confusion. _Daughter?_ She glanced at the wild blonde, who stood nervously beside her. The mismatched eyes met the blue ones. The alchemist returned her gaze to Khame and nodded.

It earned a reciprocal nod from the enormous creature. It opened its mouth again. "I sense you possess something that does not belong to you."

It took some seconds for Cordelia to connect the dots. Raising her hand to touch the necklace, she stared back at Khame, who again gave her a nod in affirmation.

"That is a piece of my scale I gave her when she was a baby."

The older blonde shifted her attention to Misty again. There was a hint of pride on the girl's face. The question as to how long the girl had been living at the marsh was put aside for a later inquiry.

"That is why my children did not tear you apart," the creature continued.

This time, Cordelia moved her gaze to the water.

Imagining herself torn apart by gators wasn't exactly a pleasant thing to do. Goosebumps appeared on her skin despite her effort not to show any vulnerability. Her eyes travelled back to Khame, looking at her directly in the eye to prove her strength.

"Go home," the god told her. "I promise not to harm you, as a sign of my gratitude for saving my girl.

"But you are a human, a witch as I see. My family cannot guarantee no harm next time you step into this swamp."

There was no other option for Cordelia but to obey. This was their place after all, not hers. She lowered her gaze and nodded, rather reluctant to leave the wild blonde behind.

When she got out of the swamp, she realized that the sky had cleared. She thought about what the deity had told her, that she should never come back. That was what Misty had told her, too.

But Cordelia was too invested in whatever this swamp had in store for her. There was no going back at this point. Cordelia knew that, Misty knew that too, and possibly Khame did as well.

###

The wild blonde kept her eyes on the woman until she could no longer see the other.

"She is not so bad for a human, is she?" the god spoke. With its heavy body, Khame turned around to dip her body partially in the water. The big bicolored eyes observed her kingdom. "I can see why you like her."

The words rang weirdly in Misty's ears. Her life had always consisted of fighting humans and war against the destruction of the nature they brought about. She had been part of the nature, ever since the beginning of her life. All her experience with humans taught her that no human was worth trusting.

But that woman, Cordelia, she was different from anyone she'd known in every aspect, and it baffled Misty. She had felt something new on the day the older woman had first appeared at the marsh.

 _I like her?_ the wild blonde repeated what her mother had said quietly. _No_ , she thought. It just sounded like such an odd idea.

"I…don't…" the wild blonde answered to her mother rather awkwardly.

But the creature ignored her daughter. Whether or not she had noticed the girl's sheepishness remained a mystery. The two blondes had a deep connection, Khame could sense.

"She has to stay away," the god uttered.

Misty didn't look at her mother. Both of them simply stared at their beloved home in silence.

"I know," the girl whispered back.

The consequences were obvious if the woman were to come back. Just as Khame had said, she wouldn't be able to protect the alchemist the next time.

"She doesn't belong here," she said again, to herself this time.


	4. Chapter 4

Cordelia locked herself up in the greenhouse as soon as she came home from the swamp. With the plants and flowers she had obtained from the unexplored place scattered on the work desk, she let her passion consume her.

Her mind was occupied with Misty and the god, while her hands unconsciously ground the herbs. The croco-cow had called Misty its daughter…they were obviously not related by blood, or were they? Maybe the girl was some sort of a deity too.

A drop of sweat fell on the wooden table and made a small dark stain. Too invested in her activities, Cordelia failed to notice the people outside the greenhouse, approaching the grand door of the academy.

###

Inside the vast living room of the academy, Harrison Renard and Marie Laveau sat at the small round table across the Supreme. The white smoke of a cigarette swirled in the air as Fiona sipped coffee, which she made only for herself. The guests were seated silently, fully knowing the Supreme wouldn't offer them a drink.

When Fiona put out a cigarette and was about to light another, the witch hunter finally opened his mouth.

"I came to suggest we pause our battle for a while," he said. Even in this situation his voice and posture were full of smugness. "I know we've been fighting for longer than we can possibly remember. But we have something that could pique your interest."

Fiona snorted. The smirk on the face of the old man made her sick to the stomach. She had heard of the corporation the man ran, one of the biggest businesses around the world. And now the man was snickering at the Supreme as if she was another prey he could destroy with his filthy power.

"And what would that be?" the Supreme answered half-heartedly.

"Khamerernebty," Marie spoke up gravely, responding on behalf of the man.

The white woman trained her eyes on the voodoo witch, who sat cross-legged with much elegance. The air suddenly got thick and heavy as the Supreme glared at her guests back and forth.

She stayed quiet for some moments, her hand playing with the rim of the coffee cup and the other bringing the cigarette to her red lips.

Seeing the white woman not responding, Harrison leaned in to take further steps, his suit-clad forearms flat on the table. Fiona could smell the filth he radiated.

"I believe it's a problem big enough to take a rain check on our childish battle," he told Fiona in a persuasive tone. "My suggestion is, that we form an alliance, and kill that foul creature.

"My company has been targeting the marsh for decades now. That place has so much potential for development. If that monster dies, the place will be in our hands."

Fiona let out a snort, cutting off the man's eloquent speech as if to say it was enough.

"That's good for you." she dragged her cigarette, the air highlighted by the faint sound of dry leaves burning. "What I don't understand is why I need to help you satisfy your greed."

The comment earned a disgustingly smug smile from the C.E.O of Delphie Trust. Fiona tried her hardest to suppress her urge to make him fly across the room and wipe that smirk off. He gestured Marie with his eyes.

"The legend says," the voodoo witch spoke. "Its scales have an apotropaic power, its teeth a pharaonic one, and its horns a power of eternal youth and beauty."

While the black woman addressed, Fiona's dark eyes narrowed. All of the attributes sounded intriguing, but the last one was what caught her heart.

And being a tactful businessman, of course Harrison didn't fail to miss how the Supreme's demeanor changed.

"It's no secret that you are seeking a key for immortality," he smirked, fully knowing his prey was about to fall into his hands. "Kill that crocodile, and you will forever be young and beautiful. And I will get the land. And even if you don't help us, it's going to come after you eventually. Why don't we kill it together, huh? There sure will be a plenty of time for us to kill each other after that."

There was a long pause. Even the sound of Fiona lighting another cigarette was rather loud in the excruciatingly quiet living room.

Exhaling the toxic smoke, she rubbed her palms against each other. If Cordelia had been here, she could have easily told the nervousness of her mother. The friction sound of the Supreme's dry palms was something the daughter had come to be familiar with.

Fiona was heavy on thoughts. The witch hunter and the voodoo queen waited patiently. They knew there would be only one answer.

And the Supreme finally whispered.

"How do you know that thing is real? How do you know it's not just an urban legend?"

Harrison smirked triumphantly at the very-anticipated question.

"We have a very reliable source," he answered while making eye contact with Marie next to him. The two grinned like children who shared a dirty scandalous secret. "The information is without an error. I can trust it as much as I trust my own eyes."

At the last sentence, Marie let out a snort.

ooOooOoo

Wind rose and made the swamp water sing in silence. The cicadas vibrated the air as if to celebrate their momentary lives in the heat, and flocks of birds abandoned the land in hope of better lives.

In the middle of the wetland Misty sat on a log, her wild hair swirling in the wind. This was her life, the swamp, and nothing else. She loved her life, so proud of being a guardian of her homeland.

But now her heart was swaying. For the first time in many many years, she allowed herself to wonder what it would feel like to live among humans, what it would feel like to feel the skin that was not as rough as gators'. _And not anyone would do_ , she thought. Her mind always wandered back to the woman she had met. Cordelia, that was her name.

There was a strange feeling in her chest whenever she thought of Cordelia. The woman made Misty homesick, for a place she had never known existed. The warmth of her hand when she had grabbed Misty's wrist was vivid in the back of her mind, and the wild blonde closed her eyes in attempt to remember her face.

 _Those eyes_ , she mused. The mismatched eyes scared her for unknown reasons. They looked exactly like her mother's, but very different. Cordelia's gaze felt sharp, making the wild blonde shiver internally every time, and it made her feel like the eyes could see the girl's very soul.

She sneaked her hand under the shirt and felt the healed wound in her abdomen. The scar tissue made a little bump on her skin, and the feeling caused her to recall the moment Cordelia's fingers caressed the skin. Her fingertips had felt soft and delicate unlike Misty's own.

Toying with the tissue absentmindedly, she stared into space.

An alligator made its way in the water to the pondering girl.

"You've been thinking a lot lately."

The girl's hand stopped its unconscious movements, forming a soft sift as she dropped her gaze to the ground.

"Khame told us you were thinking about the human you saved the other day. Is that true?"

Misty tiredly shook her head and rubbed her eyes, a tiny smile on her lips. "I'm just…" _Mother always knows_. She bit her lip.

"She won't return, Misty."

"I know."

"You won't leave us, will you?"

The question caused her to snap her eyes open. "No," she answered with her brows knotted.

There were a few blank milliseconds before the answer came out, and Misty cursed herself silently. But what hurt more was that they still saw her as a human. No matter what she'd do, she would never be an enough gator for them.

"I'm not going anywhere," the gator princess said in a whisper. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

Wind rose again, and she glared at the ripples on the water surface.

ooOooOoo

A couple weeks after her encounter with Khame, Cordelia again found herself walking in the swamp. The difference, however, was that this time she was not alone.

"Ugh, why the fuck am I in such a depressing place when I can be hooking up with hot guys!? My freaking vagina is sweating, but not the way I prefer."

The birds in the nearby trees flew away at the supercilious voice of Madison.

Fiona had gathered the core members of the coven that afternoon and proposed a trip to the marsh. Not many moments were given for them to protest before the Supreme urged them to hop in the car. Everyone, including Cordelia, was anxious for an explanation on the way, but the oldest witch didn't seem to be interested in that.

Zoe and Nan rolled her eyes at the actress's grumble.

"Madison has a point though," Zoe turned around to look at the mismatched eyes of Cordelia, who walked right behind them. "What are we doing here, with them? I thought this was a forbidden swamp."

Anxiousness could easily be heard in her voice as she gestured at the witch hunters and voodoo witches walking ahead of them.

The hunters carried firearms of multiple sizes, and probably other kinds of weapons in their bulky bags on their shoulders. The voodoo witches, on the other hand, were carrying a large box with presumably lots of dead animals and skulls in it. In front of the entire cohort, the Supreme, Marie Laveau, and Harrison Renard walked side by side.

It was such a rare sight, but it gave Cordelia nothing but chill. The way the leaders walked indicated their eagerness to violate the swamp, but it was more than that. If they were as strong as they insisted, then why were there so many people, and so many weapons? Something bad was about to happen, Cordelia knew.

"They say they are killing the god." The voice of the clairvoyant pulled her back to earth.

"The god?" Zoe parroted.

Nan answered her with a shrug. The voices of the other people only gave her bits of information. "They are killing the god of the swamp together. Ka…Ka-something."

"Khamerernebty?" the other brunette asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice.

The name of the god drew blood from Cordelia's face in an instant, and she heard her own breath hitch. _How did they know about Khame? Are they really here to kill her? Do they know about Misty too?_

With her panic switch turned on, she heard Zoe spoke under her breath.

"But I thought that was a myth." The brunette shifted her eyes apprehensively, meeting the ones of the confused Cordelia. "I read a book after I learned we aren't supposed to come here. This swamp has a god, a descendant of powerful Egyptian gods. The book said it has a body of a crocodile and a head of a cow."

The other girls frown at the description in suspicion, while Cordelia listened attentively. All her life, she had been told this place was dangerous, but the reason was never given. Apparently the answer to her question had always been in the bookshelf of the academy all along. Her blind eyes just couldn't see it.

"Its worst enemy was humans because, you know," Zoe continued, her steps becoming warier by the second. "…and our ancestors feared the god equally. So they made a pact centuries ago, that as long as no one steps over the boundaries, we leave each other alone."

"Great, and now we're invading their place," Madison, who had been rather quiet since her complaint regarding her lady part, exclaimed dramatically. "Not that I actually buy that bullshit," she added before dragging a cigarette.

Cordelia sighed, choosing to ignore the actress entirely instead of jumping on her and making her stop polluting the air. She had priorities. With her perpetually apprehensive look, the blonde woman pulled Zoe softly by the arm. The other two girls raised their brows questioningly, but kept walking, leaving the two behind.

"Did it– Does the book talk about the daughter of the god, that might be able to turn into a human shape?"

Cordelia's whisper was almost swept away by the sound of leaves rustling above their heads. Zoe looked at her with puzzlement and shook her head in negation.

"No, I don't think it has any children," she whispered back, not fully comprehending why they were talking like that. "Why do you ask?"

The blonde woman stared at the girl for a moment, and shook her head. Letting go of her arm, she watched the girl go back to join the army of witches and hunters. The numerous figures of humans seemed so strange in the swamp surroundings, to the point their existences in the place seemed inappropriate.

 _Their backs look nothing like Misty's_ , the blonde woman thought to herself. The wild blonde carried her body gracefully and yet humbly. The humans, the ones in Cordelia's sight now, moved with arrogance and a sense of superiority.

The wind roared as if to threaten the intruders, and her eyes moved to the immense swamp she had grown to admire. She hopelessly looked for a sign of Misty or Khame among the giant trees. For a moment, she thought her eyes had caught a glimpse of the golden curls of the wild blonde.

She ran, never minding the mud on her shoes.

It didn't mean the threat from the god was forgotten; she remembered it very clearly. It just didn't matter to Cordelia at the very moment, because all she could think about was how to find Misty before Fiona's troop did.

Above her, the clouds started to hide the sun.


	5. Chapter 5

The usually tranquil atmosphere of the swamp was completely polluted by the noise the army made. They had stopped at the one place, where the trees and the bushes hid their bodies from the water. The air was thick with the sound of guns being assembled and the abrasive scent of voodoo incenses.

Across the water, behind a bush, the god of the marsh observed the humans with her big mismatched eyes.

Misty walked next to her anxiously, her brows knitted together in shock, disgust, and aggression. She had never seen so many humans gathered in one place. And from all the weapons they had, it was easy to guess their purpose of the visit.

"How did they find us?" the wild blonde whispered, not exactly expecting an answer.

The first thing that came to her mind was Cordelia. Some of the humans appeared to be witches, just as the older blonde was a witch. Misty's jaw tightened at the thought. _No, she wouldn't_ , she told herself quietly.

"It does not matter how. What matters is that they are so sure of themselves, trying to annihilate us all."

Khame told her in her deep voice, making the wild blonde shiver. This wasn't precisely an unexpected event for either of them; the feral girl had been told ever since she was a toddler that one day, humans would come to eliminate her mother. She just couldn't believe it was happening so soon.

"Are you scared?" her gator mother asked softly.

The pair of blue eyes stared at the bicolored eyes, clenching her teeth while her sharp nails dug into her palms. She wasn't scared; such an emotion was foreign to her.

The god narrowed her eyes as the corners of her mouth turned upward slightly.

"My sweet child, you can always walk away from this hell unlike your sisters and brothers," she hummed. She saw Misty flinch at the words, but continued, fully aware the girl didn't like where this conversation was going.

"The human who saved you, I saw her eyes.

"There might be a life out there with her, if you choose that way."

For a long time, the wild blonde remained quiet under the gaze of her mother.

"I'm not leaving my family," the girl stated.

Even though Khame could see a sense of longing in her daughter's sky blue eyes, she asked no further questions. She simply gave the girl a nod of her head.

"Then protect the eggs. They are the most fragile souls of all."

The god shifted her gaze to the enemies as the sound of girl's steps faded away behind her.

ooOooOoo

Cordelia ran, among the giant trees, through the marsh, blindly and desperately to find the wild blonde. Out of breath, she made an abrupt stop, noticing the familiar surroundings.

The place was where the god had emerged from the water, where she had left Misty. The alchemist looked down at the ground, and found footprints there. The shallow hollows made a wet trail on the ground, disappearing into a bush.

Cordelia ignored the mud slipping into her shoes, and took cautious steps. When she caught the sigh of the god she'd been looking for, she took a deep breath, jaw tightening instinctively.

"Khame," Cordelia said to the coarse canvas of the god's back.

Her voice came out shaky, her chest heaving out of fright. Misty was nowhere to be seen, she noticed. If the god were to shred her into pieces, this moment would be perfect.

But the god only glared at her, which was threatening enough to make Cordelia's teeth clatter nonetheless. Wind blew again and made dying leaves rustle at the intensity the god emitted.

The alchemist felt the hair at the back of her head stand.

"You damn human, why couldn't you stay in your cozy house?"

There was belligerence evident in the deep voice that shook the ground.

"I'm trying to save you and the swamp," Cordelia defended herself. "They are here to kill you. I know those people better than anyone does. They are not going to fight fair. I can help you. But I need to find Misty first. Where is she?"

"Why do you care so much about her? Because she gave you sight?" the god snarled at the human. She saw Cordelia open her mouth to protest, but didn't give her a chance to do so. "There is nothing you can do. Misty has already chosen her path. When the swamp goes down to ashes, so will she."

The alchemist tightened her fists at either side of her hips. The muscles in her neck stiffened as she kept her voice low and steady. "You'd gladly make her a martyr?"

"What a human-like way of thinking! So selfish, so ignorant."

"Set her free. She is a _human_."

Cordelia took a step forward, her vision getting blurry despite her effort to stop the tears. She had never talked back to anyone like that before. What was making her so reckless, so brave?

"Shut your mouth, imbecile!" Khame raised her voice for the first time, showing the yellowish aging fangs. The eyes were wide, glaring at their twins several feet away.

"She is _my_ child. I have raised that girl since a peasant tossed her to me in order to escape my fangs! She is not a human, but she can never be a gator. Such a dishonorable failure of my family, and I love her to every bone. What do you have, that could possibly save that poor monster?"

For some moments, Cordelia was left speechless, every word of the god ringing in her ears. So, was that her story? The alchemist couldn't help but shed a few tears for the feral wild blonde.

The girl's hatred toward the humanity wasn't just because of the poachers that violated the swamp. It was her parent, her biological parent. Cordelia wondered if the wild blonde knew about her own origin, her miserable life that was supposed to end when her parent had decided to let her go.

"I don't know," the blonde shook her head. And when she looked back at the god, her eyes didn't show fear anymore. With her head tall, Cordelia walked closer to the deity, just close enough for the old eyes to see the decisive look on her face. "But I know that I don't wish her to die protecting this swamp."

They stared at each other. While her blonde hair swirled in the wind, Cordelia watched Khame as hostility slowly faded away from her eyes.

And in that instant, she felt strange warmth on her chest. Her fingers were wrapped around the scale necklace, the source of the radiating heat. The strangest feeling occupied her heart, and Cordelia _knew_ that it was guiding her toward the wild blonde.

She shot her wide eyes to the god. Khame looked at her with an expression the alchemist had never seen. Her face was blank on the surface, but there was a hint of tenderness. It was as if she was begging Cordelia. Begging her to protect her child, from fate, from misery, from the god herself.

It made Cordelia wonder if that was the expression of a parent caring for her child. But she would never know; Fiona had never shown her that. She could only guess.

"Don't blame me if she cut your throat," Khame whispered.

Despite the words spoken, Cordelia nodded with a small smile on. Raising her hand to the chest, she felt the necklace again before she let it guide her through the swamp.

ooOooOoo

Rewinding the story a little bit to when Cordelia was still confronting the deity, on the opposite side of the water, two people sat in front of a glass sphere.

Marie Laveau and Harrison Renard dutifully watched the scene played in the sphere, while their minions prepared for the attack. The witch glass ball was showing the croco-cow. It didn't matter to them that it provided no sound.

The black witch shifted her attention when Fiona walked to where they sat. There were quite a few cigarette butts on the ground already, but the Supreme tirelessly lit another one.

"What are you two doing with that thing?" She gestured at the magical sphere with her chin, exhaling the white smoke. Her pristine brows knotted together dubiously when she noticed the scene it played.

"Is that…?" Fiona glanced at the voodoo queen, and then Harrison. Her question was confirmed by the smirk of the witch hunter.

"Seems like your daughter has found the swamp god," Harrison informed the white woman. He leaned back slightly and straightened his back. His eyes shone maliciously even under the clouded sky. "For the second time."

His smirk never failed to disgust Fiona, and she fought the urge to shove the cigarette into his mouth.

"Delia? So that's the reliable source you were talking about?"

As much as the Supreme deemed her daughter as a failure, it was impossible to think Cordelia would act out by being an informant of their enemies. No, she wouldn't have the guts.

Her eyes stared at the glass ball, and suddenly things clicked in her head. The sphere now showed trees, and then it slid back to the image of the god. It was like watching the scene through a camera lens.

Fiona turned her head to the voodoo witch. "What did you do to my Cordelia?"

But Marie merely snickered at the words, her mouth in an upside-down U as she dramatically shrugged.

Harrison followed the black woman and laughed, showing his sickeningly white teeth. "That magic enabled us to see through her eyes, literally. We've been watching what she had been seeing." he almost mischievously answered to Fiona's question. "But it was never made to give her real sight. We didn't care if she was blind or not. Someone else fixed it."

A sigh escaped Fiona's mouth.

"Well, real sight or not, it doesn't change the fact that you were spying on us."

The white man replied with a shrug. "Destroying a group from within is the most efficient way to do it. You might want to write that down." He lit a cigar.

"It didn't go as we'd planned, though. She no longer needed help from others, which resulted in such little insider information for us.

"But as it turned out, her autonomy is the best thing we could have ever hoped for."

The pretentious attitude of the man was absolutely obnoxious, but Fiona couldn't agree more. If it hadn't been for the voodoo magic, they wouldn't have been at the swamp, waiting to slay the powerful god to absorb its powers.

The three pairs of eyes gained their intensity as they stared into the glass sphere. The god was no longer there, but instead, the ball showed trees passing by at a fast speed.

They knew Cordelia was running. What they didn't know was where, or whom, she was running to.


	6. Chapter 6

Misty sat among the eggs in the nest with a weapon in her hands. It was Khame's old tooth with snake poison rubbed in on the tip. Her blue eyes stared at the eggs at her feet, cradled in dirt and dead branches, so oblivious to the cruel world they had yet to be born into.

It hadn't been long since she had parted from her mother, but Misty was feeling sick in the stomach. She couldn't put her hand on what it was. But it felt like the end was coming, at a fast speed, turning her life upside-down.

Then there was a gunshot, roaring high to the sky, followed by more explosive sounds. Alarmed, Misty stood up and peeked through the bush in front of her. Her wild blonde hair stood as she felt chill down her spine.

The swamp was filled with smoke. She could only see things within a few feet, anything else was hidden in the fog. And that smell, voodoo witches must've been burning something. It directly attacked her nostrils, and caused nausea in her stomach.

She knew what the humans were doing. The smog and the odor were used to disable two of the most powerful senses of alligators; vision and smell.

The wild blonde narrowed her eyes in order to look more intensely. A moment later, wind blew and carried the fog away, presenting her a clearer vision. Misty's eyes caught something floating on the water.

Her heart drummed against her chest, fearing for what was waiting to be seen. Her eyes narrowed more. At that very moment, everything was in silence. And then – she swallowed her gasp – she saw bodies. The armored bodies of her sisters and brothers, floating lifelessly. It was useless to count the number, because there were so many and because she could no longer see clearly.

The feral princess gritted her teeth as her knuckles turned white, tears threatening to fall down. The dead eyes of the gators glimmered white, their months wide open. This was no way near how they would look if they'd been shot. They must have put something in the water.

Countless scenarios of how to avenge them inundated Misty's mind. Her heart desired to go out in retaliation, but the order from her mother kept her there in the nest.

And then there was something, or someone, moving behind her. Spinning around with the fang clutched tightly in her hand, the wild blonde searched for the source of the sound.

The tears in the blue eyes shone when they spotted Cordelia, running desperately towards her.

Her shoes were almost completely covered with mud, her usually neat hair was going this way and that. And guessing from the redness of her face, she had been running longer and faster than her physical abilities allowed.

And God knows Misty would've admired the way her chest heaved if it hadn't been for the situation.

But not anymore.

"Misty!" the older blonde shouted immediately after finally finding the other.

Her feet carried her tired body. But Misty bared her teeth and held the weapon in front of her body, warning the alchemist.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll slit your throat."

Her voice was coarse from rage, but at the same time, there was a sense of vulnerability. She didn't want to hurt the woman, but she didn't know what she would do if the woman would step any closer.

Deep down, she was just scared. For the first time in her life, she was scared of the cruelty the humanity possessed. They could take away everything she loved, just like that.

Cordelia stopped and held out her arms, just like she'd done when she healed the wild blonde. The younger blonde looked like a lost child, terrified, not knowing who to trust.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to protect you."

"Shut up! Stop lying to me!" Her grip tightened. She tried so hard not to steady her voice, but failing miserably when those mismatched eyes kept staring at her.

"Misty."

"You brought them here, didn't you? This is what you wanted from the beginning!"

The alchemist never averted her eyes from the girl, who let her sorrow and anger control her as she stomped on the mud. And dear god, it broke Cordelia's heart to see her like this.

"No, never," the older blonde shook her head. With her arms held out, she took a step closer, which caused the wild blonde to yell frantically, the weapon grasped by both of her shaky hands.

"Stay away from me! You are a cruel monster, just like them," Misty shouted, now scared of even herself. But she didn't know how to stop herself. Her body was freezing from anger despite the heat between her eyes. "You never cared about me, just like those humans! You only care about yourself!"

The blues eyes timidly glared at the other woman. There was a moment of silence, with only the sound of gunshots from afar filling the blanks.

Cordelia observed the girl, who trembled like a little fragile animal that she actually was. There was nothing she wanted more than to hold the girl tightly, and to tell her everything was going to be fine.

"I'm not going to leave you," she whispered, each word spoken with sincere and clarity.

The words tugged at Misty's heartstrings, and somehow she knew Cordelia was not just talking about that instant. She was talking about the girl's mother, the one that had abandoned her in the nature. Her teeth clattered as her knuckles turned white around the weapon.

The alchemist closed their gap slowly, careful not to scare the little animal away. Misty flinched slightly, but didn't flee. The mismatched eyes never left the girl's blue ones, and she repeated the sentence again.

"I am never going to leave you."

And Misty, finally, let the weapon fall on the ground. The arms of the woman embraced the shaky body, bringing their bodies closer. If the words hadn't completely convinced the girl, she hoped this would convey her determination.

"They killed my family," Misty said feebly in her arms, letting tears finally soak her cheeks.

The muffled voice of the wild blonde disheartened Cordelia. She tightened her embrace, while her eyes stared at the water over the girl's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry."

Cordelia whispered, without knowing what she was apologizing for. Was it for the fact that her bitch of a mother had killed her family, for her helplessness, or for the unfortunate life of the girl? Perhaps it was all of them. And the only thing Cordelia could offer was to stand there with the girl in her arms.

It was easy to let themselves melt into the despair among the tall trees. But their bodies flinched when there was another gunshot. The older blonde felt Misty shivered against her front.

The swamp princess separated their bodies, her sorrowful eyes looking in the direction of the sound. Cordelia watched the hair at the back of Misty's head visibly stand up.

And the girl murmured: "Khame."

Although their faces were only inches apart, the whisper was not loud enough to reach Cordelia's ears, and the alchemist was left baffled when Misty started to running.

Instinctually, Cordelia followed the girl, leaving the nest on its own devices.

They ran through the swamp, Misty carried her body with agility and certainty, while Cordelia could only struggle not to lose the girl. The older blonde felt her lungs burning, desperately in need of oxygen, and her feet didn't seem to be able to carry her fast enough.

 _The goddamn back_ , she thought. How come she was still staring at the back of the younger blonde? It was as if invisible forces forbade her from looking at the girl's face.

As they ran further, the musky scent got stronger, indicating they were getting closer to their destination.

Cordelia's heart drummed. This was not good. Mixed with the nose-wrecking scent, she could smell a hint of blood. Her entire life, she had acquired sharp senses to compensate for the lack of vision. It was just a surprise to know how it paid off.

And although the wild blonde had never been blind, her upbringing was as unique as Cordelia's. The alchemist was certain she could smell the blood in the air too.

Cordelia tried to shout at the other, to tell her to slow down. But her burning lungs didn't allow for it, and the older blonde finally stopped her feet for a moment to catch her breath. Out of breath, she watched Misty running further and further away.

###

Misty thought she'd heard the other woman behind her, but there was no way she was stopping. As much as part of her heart screamed not to leave Cordelia behind, other part of her kept her running to her mother.

The smell of blood in the air sickened her. The anxiety made her body numb, but her feet kept moving as if they had a mind of their own.

When her eyes finally caught a glimpse of the human army, her heart froze.

The gators were swimming and walking near the humans, and yet they remained calm, no sign of aggression. Misty knotted her brows in confusion. As she got closer, she could see more clearly, and understood why her siblings didn't attack the humans.

They were as dead as the leaves crunching under her feet, controlled by wicked magic.

Misty cursed her feet for not being fast enough. She could see, but couldn't reach.

And then her eyes caught her mother, lying on the ground, her grand body partially dipped in the water. The gator princess shivered, gritting her teeth when she saw the open mouth of the god.

It was the same look as those of the dead gators she had seen earlier floating on the water. The toxic chemicals in the water weren't strong enough to kill her instantly, but enough to paralyze the giant body of the god. Misty couldn't see, but her big old eyes must be turning white as well.

Ahead of her, the voodoo queen controlled the dead to attack the god. Khame feebly groaned, not strong enough to kill the black woman, too soft to fight her lifeless children back.

The wild blonde felt her guts boil in anger as she ran. It was disrespectful enough to control the dead, but making them attack their mother? It sure was a whole different level of insult.

Her eyes were trained on the scene half a mile away. She was getting close.

But her breath hitched when she saw an old man in a black suit walked toward Khame. In his hand was a gun.

Misty didn't bother to suppress her growls of fury any more. Faster, and closer, her mind urged her to reach for that man and split him into half.

No, it wouldn't suffice.

Why were they always trying to harm the swamp? Her family was just living their lives. It was always the humans who attacked them first. Why was that? Why did the humans always favor violence? Like her faceless biological mother, like the poachers, why did they always want her dead? Her family dead?

But when Harrison pulled the trigger, all of her thoughts vanished instantly with her hope.

The loud noise echoed through the swamp, causing birds to fly away. Everything in Misty's world ceased at the moment. Her feet froze in the place, and the blue eyes dazedly watched as more bullets were shot buried in the body and head of her mother.

That bustard even shot her eyes. The beautiful mismatched eyes that had always soothed Misty.

Before she could register her movements, she flung herself forward that man, roaring incoherently. The adrenaline in her brain didn't allow her to care when the firearm was pointed at her. She moved swiftly, not giving the man enough time to pull the trigger. The sharp fang in her hand dug deep in his neck, and the witch hunter gasped for breath as dark red blood flew out of his neck like a fountain.

With her hazed, but somehow sharp mind, her eyes caught the dead gators baring their fangs at her.

Turning around, her body launched forward the voodoo queen, who showed a good deal of terror. The tip of the fang slid smoothly against the neck of Marie Laveau, leaving a red horizontal line on the black skin.

Her heart thumped frantically, her blue eyes hardly blinked as her weapon got bloodier and bloodier. _This is insane_ , a part of her mind screamed, _you are not like them_.

But like a puppet on the strings, Misty didn't know how to stop. One, two, three…there were tons of guilty humans.

By the time Cordelia caught up, there were dozens of bodies on the ground, puddles of blood everywhere. The mismatched eyes watched the frantic feral girl in shock as she increased the body count.

Fear was quite apparent on the faces of the people, and the alchemist knew she had to stop Misty. But the question was, how? Biting her lip with her wide eyes, Cordelia caught the figure of her mother among the frightened army.

Fiona glared at the wild blonde while a cigarette still released smoke from between her fingers. The deaths of her allies were none of her business. But if the gator girl were to come after her, the Supreme could promise her a quick death.

After slitting the throat of another voodoo witch who had try to fight back, Misty's eyes caught the Supreme.

Fiona narrowed her eyes with a lopsided smirk on, a sign of contempt and disgust. It drove Misty insane with wrath. The Supreme was the type of human who wore cruelty as fashion.

A few feet away, Cordelia stood. She had been reluctant to step in, but now that her mother and Misty glared at each other, she knew she had to make a move.

The rest of it happened quickly. Fiona raised her hand to use magic, Misty roared as she sprang forward, and in a millisecond Cordelia dashed.

"Misty, don't!"

The daughter of the Supreme screamed. Her body now shielded Fiona just in time before Misty's weapon reached her mother.

The poisoned fang stopped just a hair away from the skin of Cordelia's neck. The dilated blue eyes bored into the eyes that mirrored the god's.

"Move! Let me see that bitch's blood on my fang!" Misty bared her teeth.

The wrathful voice of the girl made the Supreme snort in disdain. "As if your knife can be fast enough to brush my skin," she spat out, causing the girl's face redden with anger.

"Shut up, Fiona," Cordelia told her mother without turning her head. She feared that the moment her eyes left the wild blonde, she would kill the Supreme.

"Misty, please. You don't have to do this." Under her labored breath, Cordelia begged the younger blonde. It was rather difficult to think the wild blonde would try to harm the alchemist herself, but she wasn't in her normal state. Nothing was for sure.

"I do. The only way of redemption for killing Khame is to shed more blood."

Misty's blood-shot eyes kept glaring at the Supreme and never looked at the daughter. And Cordelia felt a pain in her heart. Even now, standing just inches away, with her face covered with blood, Misty's eyes didn't see Cordelia.

"Then look around," the alchemist said firmly. "There's already enough blood on the ground."

There was a moment of hesitation before the blue eyes slowly moved to Cordelia and then to their surroundings. The swamp had turned into a graveyard, with not only human bodies but also dead alligators.

They were all dead.

"Isn't this enough, Misty? Isn't this enough?"

Misty heard Cordelia ask. She knew the older woman was crying because of the sniffling sounds, but couldn't see it with her tearful eyes.

"Why do you protect the human?" she whispered, not quite facing the alchemist. She couldn't help but feel betrayed by the older blonde, who wouldn't let her kill the venomous creature of a Supreme. "What worth does she have?" Her hands formed fists as her eyes stared dejectedly into space.

"She is my mother." The wild blonde lifted her gaze when Cordelia answered, and was met with the mismatched eyes. "She's my mother, Misty. Don't kill her, please. Don't make me go through the same pain."

Cordelia pleaded quietly. It was all she could say about her mother. Not how great of a person she was, or how much she loved her. Just that she was her mother. And Cordelia hoped it was enough.

Fiona remained silent as her dark eyes watched the wild blonde stepped back dejectedly, the weapon hanging dully beside her body.

"Leave, and never return," the girl told the Supreme.

Cordelia guided her mother quietly to outside the swamp, where the girls and a few of the troop were waiting anxiously. All the way home, Fiona shamelessly continued to complain about not getting any part of the god.

But Cordelia was rather glad she didn't ask her about Misty.

###

Even long after Cordelia and Fiona had disappeared, Misty stood there as though paralyzed. Her breathing was still irregular, and her head swam with all the chemicals in her brain.

It felt as though there was no emotion left in her. Just plain emptiness.

She absentmindedly let her feet carry her body to the water, her eyes not bothering to glace at the dead at her feet. Naturally, one of the bodies caught her foot, and Misty stumbled. A couple feet away from where she fell, her eyes caught the body of Khame lying there.

With her weak legs, she crawled to her mother.

The clouded eyes had bullet holes, and the inside her mouth was turning blue. Misty clutched one of her scaled limbs, while all of her emotions flooded her system. She sobbed, keeping it quiet despite the fact that there was absolutely nobody around.

The body of her mother crumbled down in her grip, leaving a pile of ashes on her lap. And Misty sobbed harder.

ooOooOoo

The academy was hectic with girls running around to heal the wounded people. Witch hunters or voodoo witches, it didn't matter in the moment. Cordelia tended to whoever needed help indiscriminately.

Of course, Fiona wasn't impressed by the altruistic behavior. After throwing a particularly disgusted look at an injured man, she waltzed toward her daughter and snickered.

"Look at you. You pulled me before I could actually get anything from the swamp, and now you are healing our enemies. What, are you trying to gain some experience before applying for sainthood?"

Each word was delivered with a precise amount of mockery and discontent, but it was her usual. Cordelia simply ignored her mother, until the clicking sound of her heels disappeared.

Her eyes were trained on her fingers as she applied some ointment on a voodoo witch's wound.

"How come you're so different from your mother?" the black woman asked, making Cordelia look up.

The face of the voodoo witch was wet with tears and blood, and the alchemist had to try her best not to let it affect her. Her dam was nearly breaking, she didn't need another crack in the wall.

"I know how it feels to be seen as a mere pawn, that's why," she whispered back, wrapping a bandage around the injured shoulder.

"I wish you'd been the Supreme," the wounded woman choked out. "Then none of this would've happened. My sister would've still been alive."

Cordelia couldn't find words for comfort, for she had never been comforted herself. She just watched tears fall down the woman's cheeks, and thought of Misty.


	7. Chapter 7

One month after the war, Fiona started to perish. Her face lost its glow day by day, and at the end of the summer, the Supreme drew her last breath on earth.

The Seven Wonders revealed the new leader of the coven; Cordelia Goode. But even after the big announcement of her Supremacy to the public, some mysteries remained to be solved. She had no idea where all of her powers came from. All of her life, she was just another alchemist with nothing else to offer.

Under the cerulean sky of autumn, Cordelia wandered around at the swamp, listening to the dry sound of leaves under her shoes. The place was tranquil as if the horrendous warfare had never occurred. The birds chirped and cicadas buzzed the way they had always used to. But the water was eerily calm with gators gone.

It wasn't the first time she had come here ever since her ascension to the Supremacy. Every time, Cordelia would spend hours searching for the wild blonde, and every time, she would go home with her shoulders slumped.

That day might be just the same, Cordelia suspected. But when she arrived at the nest, where she had found Misty before, her face turned into a concerned frown.

The nest had had eggs before, several of them, and now they were gone. Looking around, the alchemist suspected some animal might have eaten them. Without anyone to protect them, they were the most vulnerable targets for predators.

Her heart shrunk at the thought, the mismatched eyes staring at the empty nest.

But then the same eyes widened when there was a commotion behind her. Turning around, there she found the goal of her quest standing.

The wild blonde didn't look any different, with her untamed hair and dirty clothes. But Cordelia noticed the necklace hanging from her neck. It wasn't there before. The accessory resembled the one the older woman was wearing.

Her eyes traveled upward and met the blue ones. And Cordelia allowed herself to get lost in them for the first time. It was strange how the whole world could cease to exist in an instant. No gators or poachers to worry about. Just her and Misty.

They shared silence as the younger blonde stood near the water. The Supreme followed her and stood next to her, looking over the fallen kingdom together.

"How have you been?" Cordelia whispered, afraid of ruining the tranquility.

"The water is still poisonous," the wild blonde answered, her voice as calm as the surface of the water. "How is your mother?"

"She died." The older blonde told her. With a small smile on her face, she marveled how their fate had turned out to be. "I'm the leader of the coven now."

"Coven?"

Misty shifted her gaze for the first time to the Supreme, her brows slightly raised in curiosity.

It took some moments for Cordelia to realize that she had never explained anything personal to the girl. Their days had been controlled by the greed of other people, so much so that this occasion might be the very first time they had an adequate conversation.

She decided that she loved Misty's calm voice. It was nice to listen to her not shouting or crying.

Cordelia offered a small smile. "It's a group of witches. We recruit girls with powers and teach them how to control their powers. Girls like you."

"Me?"

She gave her a nod. "You have great powers. I've seen it, when you healed my blind eyes."

But the wild blonde only knotted her brows and shook her head, her gorgeous curls bouncing on her shoulders.

"I'm powerless without Khame. She was the source of all the magic in the swamp. That's why your eyes look like hers, you know. It's not just a supernatural energy. It's her blood and flesh running through that power."

With a dejected grimace, Misty spoke. It pained her to think about her mother, but her tears had dried out, and all she could do was to wait for time to pass.

Cordelia watched the girl with a broken heart. For a brief moment, she wondered if it would explain the sudden decline of Fiona's health and her following surge of powers. Could it be because the god's power was in her? She didn't have a way to find an answer.

"But you must be powerful enough to control that power. Not everyone can do the same thing," the older woman insisted. "Come to the coven. We might be able to identify your hidden powers."

But Misty answered with the same shake of her head.

"My home is here," she uttered. The blue eyes moved to the other woman. "I like you, Cordelia. But I don't think I could ever forgive humans for what they did."

Suppressing her sigh of disappointment, Cordelia nodded.

"I understand." She smiled warmly, the confession of affection tugging at her heartstrings. "But may I visit you sometimes?"

The question stunned Misty, and her wide eyes gave the surprise away. There was a strange feeling in her heart, the one that made her tickle inside. Biting her lip shyly, she nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

And it left Cordelia speechless. All of these days, she had never seen the girl smile before. The blue eyes that had used to glare at her now calmly blinked, the cheeks that had been wet with tears now glowed in pink.

The girl who stood there was no longer a feral child with lost innocence. It was a girl who longed for warmth and affection. And the Supreme felt like she was discovering the once-lost kingdom in the deep ocean.

Misty abruptly turned around to the other woman, who was still mesmerized by the beautiful smile.

"Follow me," she spoke in a childlike tone. "I want to show you something."

Raising her brows questioningly, Cordelia followed the wild blonde. They strolled quietly though the marsh, Cordelia still following the steps of the younger blonde.

But Misty often stopped her feet to wait until the other woman caught up, smiling when Cordelia came closer and running again. They repeated it over and over again, until Misty stopped in front of a hut.

The wooden shack was smaller than the greenhouse at the academy, and it had some holes in the walls.

The mismatched eyes looked at the wild blonde with surprise and curiosity. No word was exchanged as Misty walked in with a coy smile on, and Cordelia went after her.

Inside the hut was just as bleak as the outside. There was only a small mattress in a small corner of the room with some blankets, but nothing else. No stove, no lights, nothing.

"This is my nest," Misty informed the alchemist coyly but yet proudly. "You can always find me here."

Cordelia found herself speechless at the revelation of the wild girl. Her eyes travelled around again, stunned by the bareness of the room. It disheartened her to think this had been the girl's entire life.

But despite the heartbreak she had for the younger blonde, Cordelia felt flattered as well. It was safe to assume she was the first human to ever step into the nest. It meant Misty trusted her enough to show her safe haven.

With a warm smile on her face, the Supreme watched the wild blonde crouch at a corner of the shack and pick up something. The rough hands encompassed a tiny body of a dead bird gently.

The pair of blue eyes stared at the lifeless bird sorrowfully. Death had never been a problem for the wild blonde when Khame was alive. But the god could no longer help her heal anything. Nothing at all.

Sensing the air become thick with grief, the alchemist stepped closer. And just before her hand landed on Misty's shoulder, they heard squeals outside. The mismatched eyes helplessly followed the girl as they got out of the hut.

Misty turned to her and smiled under the blue sky, her curls swirling in the autumn breeze.

The mesmerizing sight transfixed Cordelia, but her attention was soon stolen by another squeal from a nearby place. She let out a gasp. But it was absorbed in the wind as her eyes stared at the baby gators, playing with one another on the land. Although they were no bigger than her knuckles, those baby reptiles were full of energy.

"The eggs," Cordelia whispered. "They hatched."

A flood of emotions made her voice shaky. She'd thought all the gators were dead. But there they were, full of innocence, growing under the sky of New Orleans, under the protection of the wild blonde.

In that moment, Cordelia saw how powerful the nature was. No matter how many times humans attempted to destroy it, it always won, growing stronger each time. And there was nothing more beautiful than life itself, she was certain.

The blue eyes watched Cordelia's profile before moving back to her siblings. But the image of the woman with tears in her eyes was stuck behind her eyelids, and Misty couldn't hold the urge to touch the soft fingers that had once caressed her wound.

She trained her eyes on her siblings while her rough hand reached out. Her heart skipped a beat the moment her fingers faintly stroked the smooth skin of Cordelia's hand. It felt so different from her own skin; softer, and warmer. It was a feeling she could get used to.

But there was another strange sensation. Something very familiar. The warmth radiated from their intertwined fingers, making the girl feel at peace.

Misty looked up from their hands and found the same curiosity in Cordelia's eyes. She bored into the mismatched eyes breathlessly, seeing nothing but tender love in them. The same kind of love Khame had given her.

Her eyes welled up, leaving a white line on Misty's cheek. They shared a smile when Cordelia wiped the tears away with her fingertips. And they again felt the warmth where the cheek and the fingers touched.

So this was where the god stayed. Even after her body had disintegrated to ashes, she continued to exist through the swamp and its creations. Khame was never gone because, the same mismatched eyes were still looking back at her.

The daughter of the swamp god smiled, and felt something move in her hand. The bird flapped its wings in the hand, itching to go back to the nature.

And it flew away, higher to the sky, leaving the two humans on the land.

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading til the end! Reviews and comments are highly appreciated. Bye!**


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